


Time

by Megchad22



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Dark, F/M, Good Kate Argent, Multi, Not Happy, The Hale Fire, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 19:46:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14088333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megchad22/pseuds/Megchad22
Summary: If you had one chance to save the world, but that chance meant destroying your own happiness, would you?





	Time

“Uh…What?” The words escaped her as she stared at the man who was sitting across the fire. Had anyone else made that suggestion she would have ripped them limb from limb. But Stiles was special.

“There’s no other option” The look on Stiles’s face was bleak, hurting. The look kept her from dismissing his words, ludicrous though they were. “Every Laika Mirror that can be found has been consulted.”

The Laika mirrors were the last magic that worked in world and no one knew why.  They showed alternate timelines and could be consulted about the results of different past choices.

“But, Stiles…” Derek will never forgive me. The words stalled on her tongue. They seemed far too shallow and at the same time all encompassing. Deliberately she did not let her eyes drift to her husband Derek sat, though her hand did begin to card through her daughter’s thick fur.

“Just think about it, Kate” Somehow her husband’s smooth voice was jarring to her.  That he agreed with Stiles even more so.  Her eyes flew to him, he was wan but there was understanding in his eyes.  He knew what was being asked of them, of them. Knew what she would be giving up.

“I’m going to sleep with Carissa tonight” Their daughter pressed in close to her for a second with a whine. Derek nodded, then he and Stiles retreated to their bedroom. She waited until her husband and their boyfriend were out of earshot before looking down at the wolf that was her daughter.

“Once upon a time.” She began, with a trembling voice. “A young woman was raised to be hunter of monsters. She was part of a great family that did so. Her mother, the leader of their family, sent her to a small town where a girl was said to have been killed by a werewolf, a monster. She was to find the truth, find the monster and kill it.  Instead of monster she found a boy, grieving for the life he had taken. Instead of killing him she fell in love. With him and later his pack. She would find a home there and everything she had ever wanted.”

The Argents were a long hunting line, stretching back even further than the French countryside. They had become known with death of the Beast of Gevaudan, killed by a woman Argent who would go on to be the family’s first Matriarch.  Kate herself was a direct descendant of that woman through her mother.  Their branch of the family had long since claimed California as theirs.

It was with this lineage that Miranda Argent, Kate’s mother, had ordered her only daughter to investigate the death of a young woman in the town of Beacon Hills. Certain red flags had gone up in autopsy.

Kate had gone, expecting a hulking monster. She had not expected Derek. The Hale pack had been accommodating, allowing her to meet with the young man. He had told her everything, an open and shut case. She could not blame the boy for giving the girl mercy, nor could she hold him responsible for the actions of Ennis.  And yet she stayed. She had been drawn to electric blue eyes. 

They had been wary, the Hale pack, when she had decided to stay in town. She never blamed them for that. Until meeting Derek, she had a reputation.  Never rogue, not quite, but also quicker than most to answer with a bullet. Such hunters were regarded with something like fear among the supernatural. 

Again, that is where Derek was different. He didn’t fear her, not for an instant.  He wasn’t wary as she sought him out, unable to help herself. Eventually the pack had warmed up to her, even Peter.   Despite the age difference they had even approved when she and Derek had started dating, nearly two years after she had entered Beacon hills.  

In the present she hugged her daughter’s form tighter and hid her face. It was hard to tell how much her child understood. “Not everyone accepts love, though. My mother took some convincing but came around quickly. My father did not. He cursed us, refused to come to the wedding. Did not want to meet his younger grandchild, not for years. Then came your fifth birthday.” Carissa whined, high, at the mention of that birthday.

Gerard had seemed to come around. Though he called her such horrible things, ‘wolf’s bitch’ was the mildest, there was nothing she wanted to more than to forgive him. At that point he had not spoken to her in six years, with eight having passed since meeting the love of her life.  As an olive branch she invited him to Carissa’s birthday.

Her family, the Hales who came to love her like their own, kept a watch on him. There were rumors that Gerard had crossed the line from trigger happy into rogue, but no one could prove it. Even with the eyes on him, Gerard was till able to slip away for a few crucial minutes.

It was in those minutes that he destroyed everything.

“We have five years at most,” She whispered truths into her daughter fur, “before all the shields fail. Everything will die. But this plan…can I really go through with it?” Even as she asked the question she knew the answer, either way they lost everything. Either way there would be nothing left. 

She slept, tossing and troubled. It would be very easy to slip into the room holding her husband and their boyfriend. They would welcome her, no matter her choice or lack thereof.  She owed them so much more than that.  Even in sleep Kate weighed her option.

When her eyes snapped open she knew her choice.

Stiles and Derek were easy to find, huddled together around their fire. “I’ll do it” her voice was rough with emotion, “but I need to know more.”

Stiles nodded like his head was about to fly off, “The shields keep the demons at bay but they’re weakening. A few years and they’ll be gone, letting those things have free reign.”

Kate nodded absently, ignoring the twinge of guilt.  Her father had, to punish her, made a pact with demons. On her daughter’s birthday he opened the rift that allowed them in. These were not evil spirits that anyone was used to.  Even the horrible voids, the Nogitsunes paled before the horror of the things her father had unleased.  They were indescribably inhumane, called demons because ‘oh my god, what is that thing?’ gets too long to say and ‘Arrrggggghhhhh’ freaks everyone out; no matter how accurate either is. “I was there for that piece”

Stiles rolled his eyes at her sarcasm. “There is nothing we can do to strengthen the shield or extend it’s life. As soon as that portal opened we were all doomed with a capital D. But we figured out a way to keep the portal from ever being opened.”

“So why can’t I just go back and kill Him before he opens the portal?”  No one spoke her father’s name anymore. He had betrayed humanity in the worst way possible and had gotten himself killed for the effort.

 Derek answered this time, leaving her to believe they had been planning this explanation. “According to the mirrors the portal would have been opened three days later in another part of the world. It was the first thing checked.”

“Then what is the point of going back?” She asked plaintively.

Her gaze switched back to Stiles as he spoke, “In Norway one of the former Warlock councils found a reference to an old werewolf legend, called the Gift of Fenris. The legend speaks of rare kind of werewolf called a True Alpha. Something about the energy of a True Alpha makes the portal impossible, not just for the life of the werewolf but also for the lives of every mortal that lives during the life of that Alpha.”

Seeing that they had her attention Derek continued, “They searched through the mirrors for candidates. The restrictions are so severe that in all the world there were three candidates. Of those three the most likely is the youngest, Scott McCall; but only if the events are set in motion before his Sophomore year of high school.”

Stiles grimaced at the name, Scott had been an old friend of his. That is until midway through sophomore year; a new breathing treatment came out that all but cured his asthma. At the same time, he began dating a girl from the in crowd, drifting away from Stiles. Kate knew the only reason Stiles was here with them instead of with his siblings and parents was because of a prank Scott and his friends had played on Stiles. A prank that had brought the entire group of them into the hands of the demons.  The jocks had been killed and Stiles had spent several months wishing he had been. 

“If it needs to be Scott the why do I need to be the one going back?” She asked.

“One of the things about a True Alpha is that it cannot be forced. We cannot directly influence events until the very end. Because of that we will have a very specific list of things you will have to do it nudge things along.”

Kate sighed, “Very well. How do we start?”

They started with planning, as much as they could. They were under a time constraint of one month and the entire world’s supernatural community focused exclusively on this one chance.  It didn’t matter if they were hunters or wolves; vampires or witches. Even the so called evil spirits like the Nogitsune or the flesh eaters like Wendigos helped in any way that they were able. 

For six months the demons had reigned, performing horrific experiments upon anyone they caught. Most seemed to be particularly attracted to the supernatural, rarely bothering with the regular populace unless they drew their attention.  From the few that had no such preference they saw actions even more horrific. 

The prank that Scott McCall and his friends had played on Stiles had been enough to draw the demons. Kate suspected but would never mention that it was likely Stiles Spark had drawn their attention, causing the death of the others.

The demons were so far outside the normal mind that for those six months most never even realized what was happening.   Just as the status quo was changing and the demons began to reach for regular humans for subjects they found a way to fight back.

It had taken a massive worldwide effort to delay the demons.  Every continent and country where human life dwelled had at least one person. Every sentient species gave their voices to the spell. Every drop of magic was wrung from the world to push back the demons but only as far as the moon, and only for mere decade.  For that massive effort the entire world paid, magic was not so easily stripped even for protection. Any cross between human and animal -werewolves, kitsunes and so much more-  were stuck as either one or the other.  Among the immortals -spirits, vampires, the Void- well some died as their magic that sustained them was tripped away, some were reduced to human shell, and still others became a whisper on the wind. Human magic users got off the easiest, though most described it akin to a loss of a limb or a sense. The only thing left was the Laika Mirrors. The common theory was that because the builder of the mirrors was long extinct they could not offer the magic up to the shield.

The magic of the world was draining slowly away, thinning the shield with every passing moment. The plan was to break the shield and draw back that magic. There would be an instant before the demons would descend again. In that instant they would send her back.

Because of the delicacy of the timeline they were trying to create Kate would only know the actions she had to take at certain times, nothing else.  It would be a winding road of difficult potholes, but it was the only chance. 

**XXXXXXXXX**

The day before she would be sent back, the Hale pack gathered; human and animal alike. They took their time with her, reassuring her. As if that would help. Everyone knew what it would cost them for this to work.  They all took turns speaking to her, forgiving her preemptively.

The last was Peter, who sidled up to her as the light faded.  “I will attempt to kill you. I will try take revenge” he said, secure both in her understanding and the now human hearing of their family.

She nodded, unsurprised. “And you will never understand why.” 

There had been no threat in his words, not really. She knew it was his own way of giving his permission, of acknowledging the truth of their reality.   A simple statement of fact.

 

**XXXXXX**

 

At the appointed hour Kate found herself standing in a ritual circle. Across the world groups surrounded the intersections of ley lines, preparing for one of the biggest magical undertakings in history. It was impossible to tell if it was a bigger working than the shield but it’s timing was certainly more intricate. There would be a matter of moments between when the shield broke and when the wave of demons slammed back into the planet, disrupting the magic enough to make this undertaking impossible.  

Facing her outside the circle was the lupine form of her daughter bracketed by Derek and Stiles. It was both a kindness and a cruelty; they will be the last thing she would see. If she was vey lucky she might even be able to see her daughter in human form for the first time in almost three years.

“Now the change point is not going to have anything to do with you” Stiles babbled nervously. Kate let him, knowing he needed it. All of them were sacrificing something today, “You’ll be sent back to three days after Paige died.”

“What’s the change point?” She asked, partially out of curiosity, partially to keep Stiles from hyperventilating before the ritual began.

Stile grimaced, “My mother went to a doctor’s appointment that day, they caught her disease early, early enough to cure. If she misses that appointment she will have to wait another three months, passed the point of no return.  We’re going to shift things so that I am too rowdy for her to make the appointment.”

There was nothing to say to that, nor was there any time. She felt the energy flow around her. Just before everything went dark her daughter’s form blurred into that of an eight-year-old girl, scarred and scared.  

The last thing she heard was a high, soft voice saying, “good luck, mommy.”

XXXXXXXXX

The world faded in to the buzz of her phone, it was her mother sending her to Beacon Hills. Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. Kate took the time to let the emotions leak off her. After today she would have to live a persona that would see such actions as a weakness.

Her act would last every hour of every day for the rest of her life.

She arrived at Beacon Hills, right on schedule.  The Hales were just as accommodating as she remembered.  Heart breakingly so.  She sent off her report, this time saying she needed time to investigate.

It was even easier to catch Derek’s eye than before. She knew her husband and this time around she had no qualms about his age.  He told her everything she could have ever needed to know.

Technically she didn’t need to do any of it, she had been to the Hale house enough times. Not to mention Talia and Peter had helped her plan. But she had to break his trust thoroughly, break his soul so that when the time came he could correctly guide the True Alpha.  In the same vein she didn’t truly need any of her accomplices for the act itself, but they would be needed later to shape Scott McCall.

Only once did she let herself indulge in anything that was not part of her primary goal. Knowing it would be her only opportunity she stood on the hill above the hospital watching for Stiles to go in. A week later she would find out her moment of indulgence was on the same day as Stiles’s mother died.

Now it was time to set everything in motion. Laura was out of town, visiting a neighboring pack with Alan Deaton.  Derek was waiting for her by her hotel. Everyone else in the pack was home.

Her mask was firmly in place as she poured the mountain ash in the precise lines Peter showed her. Not a tear breached her eyes as she poured the accelerant in the five-points Talia suggested. With a seemingly careless flick of the wrist she threw the match and watched the house she had learned to love glow with heat.

Kate forced herself to stay. To listen to every shriek of pain, every howl of agony. She let the sound imprint upon her soul and chanted the mantra ‘for a better future’ repeatedly. It somehow hurt more as one by one the sounds died away. Until all that was left was the piercing scream of Peter, madness weaving its way into his cries.

Already she could hear the sirens careening toward her. Soon Derek would be drawn to see why there was smoke pouring from the preserve. He would be able to smell her all over the ruins of his family home.  Soon he would know.

Kate walked away, knowing she could not set foot in Beacon Hills for six years.  Only then would she be able to see if it had been worth it. Worth the screams.

For those six years she continued to do her work. In some ways it was new. Her reputation as being just this side of rogue continued unabated.  It was imperative that her brother be willing for her to spend time with Allison, but that he could also see he actions in the right light when the time came.

With Allison she groomed her carefully. A nudge here, a push there. She knew the girl was destined to be the True Alphas first love, his lost love. But no matter how she groomed Kate was careful to never step over the line.  Never too much lest everything turn to ash. Nothing could go wrong.

She couldn’t let their deaths be in vain.

The deaths she had been waiting for trickled over the grape vine. Animal attacks in Beacon Hills. She checked her date and headed back. If things were going right she would wing Derek with one of her Wolfs Bane bullets. 

It was difficult, towing the line she had to walk. Knowing that a single misstep would negate everything they had sacrificed.  It was so difficult not to shove instead of nudge; to limit how much she could interact with her niece’s boyfriends. 

She captured Derek. Already she could see the differences between this man and her husband. There was a weight about him, guilt. She had to break him further, she had to. She had to make their deaths have meaning and that meant Derek had to be a specific kind of broken so that he could gain and lose the Alpha spark.

It was a surprise, the moment that Peter tore her throat out. It hurt almost as much as the soundtrack of screams in her mind. She paralyzed; unable to move, but conscious. She could hear as Peter was killed and wondered if it all had been for naught. Where had she screwed up?

Cell by cell she healed. Consciousness did not leave her; not when the pendant was placed in her hands, not as her coffin was closed and she was buried alive.

In darkness she healed, surrounded by nothing. Nothing but the screams of her pack as the burned alive.  Perhaps this was her punishment…for failing, for succeeding. It didn’t matter.

After she escaped the Calveleras she kept going with the plan. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else could matter. She had already given everything to this plan, she could not deviate now. Not when their ashes still clung to her skin. Their screams still echoed in her ear. 

It was till too easy to kidnap Derek. Maybe that’s why she had to do it so often. He was a little more whole than the last time, but there was something in him that was still so shattered. She extracted information from him, what had gone on during her time in the grave.

Thankfully it seemed she had not failed after all. Everything was still on track. And now it was almost time for the gran finale. The one time she could directly influence the True Alpha, the final test.

To become a True Alpha required specific steps in order.

First the potential had to possess precisely the correct amounts of naiveite and innocence, purity for lack of a term. The must also have the untapped potential for leadership. They must have experienced abandonment without being darkened by it.  They must see the world in contrasting black and white, the immovable forces of good and evil. They must trust absolutely and whole heartedly beyond any reason but also have a will of diamond. They cannot have any knowledge of the supernatural before being bit.  Nor can they have been in love before the bite.

The potential must be bitten and bitten against their will. This is the place that most potentials lose out. The Born wolves have a harmony with their nature that no bitten can match. Wolves bitten consensually do not face the same struggle, though they do struggle more than the born wolves.  Wolves bitten by force and by surprise must war with themselves, to struggle so much more. There is strength that no other wolf can match in a forcibly bitten wolf that had come out the other side of that battle.

While the potential is warring with their nature, trying to balance themselves, they must undergo the following: The must gain and lose their first loves; Been betrayed and betrayer; the cannot take another life but must find a way to gain that alpha spark; choose darkness and light.

And it all must be unguided. Untouched by someone who know the process.

The final step is the only part of the process that may be guided. The True Alpha is tested, if they can gain control over the Berserker form, then they will be complete.

XXXXXXXX

In another world, on the day Scott McCall fully became a True Alpha, Kate’s daughter would have had her fifth birthday. It would have been the day the sky was ripped apart by demons the likes of which no one had ever seen before.

It was a scene that would not happen. Even if Scott died today no mortal currently living on earth would see their horrors.

And still Kate did not take off her mask. Every hour of every day for the rest of her life.

Forever the villain.

Forever alone.

As she escaped into the desert she felt phantom arms wrap around her waist. The wind sounded like the soft voice of her daughter, at once five and eight and an infant never born. It said, “You did it mommy, I am so proud.”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay this came from trying to twist two different tropes.   
> First is that most Good Kate fics I have read make it so she never sets the Hale fire, for good reason. I asked myself, what would it take for Kate to be a good person and still have set the Hale fire without turning the Hales into secretly evil the whole time.   
> This lead me to the second trope, time travel fix it. While it is again for good reason we see two main themes in the TTFI: the traveler goes from canon to the past, then changes it; and almost everyone, barring the villain, is better off for the trip. So I started thinking about how could cannon be the fix-it?   
> I also wanted to deal with a hero that knew from the get go that she and her loved ones were going to sacrifice themselves. Knew from day one exactly what this would cost her and hers and have them pay anyway. All to often in stories we see it gradually get darker as the hero slowly realizes the cost of their heroism, we see them commit without knowing the cost.


End file.
